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Alma 20:2)
The Book of Mormon > Alma > Chapter 20
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Lexical notes
- Verse 3: From the context it seems that brother refers to Aaron, Ammon's actual brother, while brethren refers to Muloki and Ammah, not sons of King Mosiah but his brothers in the church. (See exegesis.)
Exegesis
In verse 2 the Lord says to Ammon that his "brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison." This suggests that Muloki and Ammah weren't literal brothers of Ammon but rather two of the other people the sons of Mosiah selected to travel with them (see Alma 17:8). Otherwise we might expect this to be written as "thy brothers Aaron, Muloki and Ammah are in prison." In the next verse when Ammon tells Lamoni about these three in prison, he says "my brother and brethren are in prison." Again this is an odd way of referring to all 3 if all 3 were his brothers. It seems that by saying brother Alma is referring to Aaron and by saying brethren he is referring to Muloki and Ammah. This helps explain Alma 26:1 where Ammon starts by addressing his audience as "My brothers and my brethren." Ammon uses brothers to refer to his literal brothers but brethren to refer to brothers in the church.
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